Many individuals view teeth whitening as a routine beauty treatment, you visit the dentist, get it done, and then come back again when you feel it’s necessary. However, this approach is much more costly and less efficient than it could be. The reality is that what you do in the weeks and months following treatment will determine how long those results last.
The Stain Science Worth Knowing
Not all discoloration is caused in the same way. Extrinsic stains develop on the enamel’s surface and are caused by coffees, red wines, dark sauces, and berries. These are the types of stains that can be managed by your everyday habits. What makes some foods especially bad for your teeth is not their pigment but the combination of chromogens (the pigmented molecules) and tannins, which are bonding chemicals that make it easier for the enamel to stain.
Acidic foods and drinks complicate matters further. Citrus fruits, soda, and vinegar-based dressings soften the enamel by causing acid erosion, which means that the enamel’s surface is temporarily rough and more likely to absorb pigment in the 30 minutes after eating. This is something to remember when you rush off to brush your teeth after a meal, you might be scrubbing softened enamel, which actually does more harm than good.
Seven Habits That Actually Hold Results
1. Rinse immediately after high-pigment foods. After snacking on a handful of dark berries, popping a few sushi rolls with soy sauce, or having some salad with balsamic vinegar, rinse with water. It’s not going to wash those stains away, but it lessens the time chromogens in the food have to adhere to enamel and the acidic pH to soften it in the first place.
2. Wait 30 minutes before brushing. Acidic food breaks down enamel and exposes the yellowish dentin beneath. Acid-softened enamel is more prone to damage and erosion when you brush, so wait 30 minutes. That gives your saliva a chance to neutralize and re-mineralize your teeth.
3. Use a straw for cold, high-stain drinks. Okay, not what you want to hear, but the dental advice is true: Use a straw when drinking dark cola, iced coffee, or (for that matter) wine. Your teeth at the back can handle it if you bypass the front teeth. The front teeth are where whitening makes the biggest difference, after all.
4. Upgrade to an electric toothbrush with a pressure sensor. Yes, electric toothbrushes really are that good. Their circular or up-down movements help scrub away sticky chromogens that build up as plaque. Plus, they often have pressure sensors that remind you not to be overly enthusiastic to the point of hurting your gums.
5. End meals with detergent foods. This sounds fancy but actually means snack on an apple, some celery, or a raw carrot at the end of your meal. They actually are "detergent foods," as their natural texture somewhat scrubs or mechanically cleans the surface of teeth before plaque biofilm has a chance to harden.
6. Be selective with whitening toothpastes. If you must use whitening toothpastes, understand that some really amp up the abrasivity, which means scrubbing away more enamel and actually roughening the surface (making it easier for stains to stick). Look up the cleaning Relative Dentin Abrasivity of your favorite whitening toothpaste on Google. The range is somewhere between 0 and 250, with 100-ish being a good benchmark to go for. Stick to high-abrasivity pastes around once a week or less.
7. Keep to your cleaning appointments. Once plaque calcifies (after a day to a week) to become tartar, no over-the-counter tool can touch it. Tartar also happens to be more porous than your teeth and hence more ripe for stains, so ask your dental hygienist for a cleaning whenever you start noticing stains.
Where Home Habits Hit Their Limit
While daily habits play a role in maintenance and the prevention of new staining, the actual removal of years of old staining or aging discoloration takes a bit more oomph. For that, professional-grade treatments using hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide are the only real option. If you’re considering treatment, Teeth Whitening Lalor is one option for professional-level results that go beyond what at-home maintenance can achieve on its own.
Thinking About This Like a Skincare Routine
If you were to ask someone what they’d like to improve about their smile, the chances are the answer would be whiter, brighter teeth (according to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, this is in fact the number one answer). And here’s the kicker, we all know that whitening once every blue moon and hoping for the best until your teeth regress back to their ‘before’ shade is the cycle most tend to follow.
It’s not the simplest to adhere to and reality be told, it’s not the most cost-effective either (you lose track of the countless tubes of whitening toothpaste and packets of strips and trays you purchase). But this is exactly what you need to be doing. Every transformation or professional whitening treatment you undergo needs to be paired with a solid day-to-day routine and maintenance plan. If you’re more of a face person than a teeth one, the rules are the same as skincare. The breakthrough results are the easy bit to lock down, it’s keeping them up and protected that gets a little tougher.
